Remain calm: It’s important that parents don’t get roped into their child’s nervousness, which Bernstein refers to as an “induced reaction.” He suggests that parents can help curb anxiety by staying calm themselves. Parents should remind their child to breathe and even suggest writing “breathe” as a reminder on their test booklet.

Be confident: Parents should listen for negative statements from their child, such as "I can't handle this," or "I'm not smart enough," says Bernstein. He suggests parents accept their kid's feelings but recommends saying something along the lines of, "'I know you feel that way right now, but I remember when you handled a really difficult situation. Do you remember that?'" In turn, he notes, "Of course the kid will remember that. They're forgetting that part of themselves, which has been successful."

Stay focused: Many students today simply have shorter attention spans than they did in previous generations. Why? Because they've become accustomed to the instant gratification of sending a text message or beating a video game level, says Bernstein. Parents can help their students focus by having them study continuously, without interruption, for several minutes at a time.

Do you find these tips helpful? Did your parents play such an active role in helping you stay calm and focused before you took the SATs? Let us know in the comments section.

This SOTW is Accepting Entries Through April 1st

Each year more than half a million students - just like - you participate in the National History Day Contest. How can you get in on the action? Choose a historical topic related to the annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research. Look through libraries, archives and museums, conduct oral history interviews, and visit historic sites. After you've analyzed and interpreted your sources, and have drawn a conclusion about the significance of your topic, you will then be able to present your work in one of five ways: as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary, or a web site.

The National History Day Contest is open to students in grades 6-12 in the junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12) divisions. The projects relate to a specific historical topic or theme. There are seven categories, including individual papers, individual exhibits, group exhibits, individual performance, group performance, individual documentary, and group documentation. Within each category, the first place winner receives $1,000, the second place winner receives $500, and the third place winner receives $250. The national contest is held in June.

For more on this scholarship and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!

Get your code on: Regardless of your background, understanding even basic coding is a huge differentiator for job seekers in nearly every field, says Keith Cline, founder of the recruiting firm Dissero. Before you graduate, squeeze in a basic computer science class or, if you just don’t have room in your schedule, join New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and pledge to learn computer code by the end of 2012 via Codeacademy, a free tutorial website.

Socialize, virtually: If you think knowing your way around Facebook will suffice, you’re in for a rude awakening. Instead, Cline suggests students build and maintain blogs focused on target fields and use Twitter to engage with industry influencers. "Out of 10 applicants … that one person who has a personal blog and a social media presence, that's the person they'll hire," Cline says.

Take stats...STAT: Companies need people who can break down data and interpret the information with a business mindset, says Vijay Subramanian, chief analytics officer for Rent the Runway, a website where customers rent high-end designer fashions. Taking statistical analysis is a great way to get an understanding of programming language and getting into the weeds of Google Analytics and the power of what it can tell you, advises Cline.

This SOTW is Accepting Entries Through February 13th

James "Rhio" O'Connor was a remarkable man. He was diagnosed with a deadly cancer (mesothelioma) and given a year to live. Instead of giving up he found his own path to health and outlived his prognosis by more than six years. This path to health included creating his own treatment protocol which consisted of: vitamins, minerals, vegetables and fruits components, essential fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes, herbs, a healthy (primarily vegetarian) diet and mind-body medicine. This protocol along with Rhio's optimistic spirit, belief in something greater than himself, and the ability to make tough choices helped him beat his prognosis and live with a cancer considered "incurable" for many years.

Undergraduate students at colleges and universities in the United States are invited to honor Rhio's spirit of self-determination and intellectual curiosity by writing an essay about what they would do if they faced the same challenges that Rhio faced. For example, why are alternative therapies used by cancer patients when they are not FDA approved? Should cancer patients and doctors be able to use whatever treatments they like in treating cancer? Should medicinal medicine and folk knowledge have any relevancy in cancer? It is estimated that it costs over $400 million to bring a new cancer drug to market. Does that establish roadblocks for the testing and approval of alternative therapies?

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university. High school students are ineligible unless they are 18 year of age or older and are also attending a college or university. For more information on this scholarship and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!

How will the interactive e-learning venture, known as MITx, work? Here’s the breakdown: MITx will give anyone free access to an online-course platform. Users will include students currently enrolled at MIT as well as external learners like high school seniors and engineering majors at other colleges. They’ll watch videos, answer questions, interact with teachers and other students globally, experience stimulated labs, participate in quizzes and take tests. Still have your doubts? MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif assures interested students, "This is not MIT light. This is not an easier version of MIT," he said. "An MITx learner, anywhere they are, for them to earn a credential they have to demonstrate mastery of the subject just like an MIT student does."

One slight catch is that although MITx courses will carry no cost, the institute plans to charge a “modest” fee for the certificates. (The exact amount is still undecided.) The first course will begin around spring of 2012 but MIT has yet to announce the course. Does this opportunity spark your interest? Should other prestigious institutions – Harvard, Stanford, Brown, etc. – offer similar initiatives? Let us know what you think.

Your School-Related Resolution for 2012 Could Earn You $1,000

Every January, we all make resolutions for the year ahead – resolutions that are, unfortunately, usually forgotten by February. Want to make a vow you’ll actually keep and earn money for college at the same time this year? Then enter our newest Short & Tweet Scholarship!

What’s on your educational to-do list in 2012? Whether it’s getting into your dream school, decoding the FAFSA or simply setting two alarms so you don’t miss your morning classes, we want to know! Follow us on Twitter and mention us (@Scholarshipscom) in a tweet detailing your school-related resolution and how you plan to keep it. Here’s how to enter:

Step 2: Mention us (@Scholarshipscom) in a tweet answering the question “What’s your school-related resolution for 2012 *AND* how will you stick to it?” Once you do this, you are entered to win a $1,000 scholarship or one of two Kindles.

Step 3: You may enter as many times as you want from January 4th through February 10th but please limit your tweets to five per day. Each tweet will be a stand-alone entry and tweets that are submitted by non-followers, exceed 140 characters, do not include @Scholarshipscom, do not answer the entire question or are submitted after the February 10th deadline will not be considered. From there, the Scholarships.com Team will determine which comments are most deserving of the awards.

Starts: January 4th

Ends: February 10th

Number Available: 3

Amount: $1,000 for one first-place winner; one Kindle each for second- and third-place winners

This scholarship competition is offered by Scholarships.com and is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Twitter.

The GRHS Essay Contest is open to all students attending public, private, parochial or home schools and to students attending accredited universities as full-time undergraduate students. The subject of the paper must be directly related to German-Russian history heritage or culture and be the contestant’s original work. A contestant does not need to be ethnic German-Russian to enter the contest. Resubmission of previously judged work is not permitted.

For more on this scholarship and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!

If you don’t know what scholarship displacement is, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, winning a scholarship may not be the end-all be-all when it comes to paying for school because they can complicate the financial aid package offered by your intended university. Why? When a student wins a scholarship, the college may reduce the student’s need-based financial aid package to compensate. For example, say a university offers a student a $15,000 grant and an additional $15,000 loan to cover the cost of attending. If the student were then to win a scholarship for $15,000, the college could retract its $15,000 grant. Colleges call this an over-award and the scholarship providers call it displacement.

Although this may seem discouraging, it shouldn’t dissuade you from applying to scholarships altogether. Instead, do your homework, speak with your admissions counselor and know where your intended college stands when it comes to their scholarship policies. If you’re brining a lot of scholarship dollars to the table, you have options. Every college is different and has their own guidelines when it comes to outside scholarships. If one university doesn’t allow you to put those scholarship dollars to other costs – loans, books, room and board, etc. – enroll at one that does. You could also enlist the help of the scholarship sponsor: Some scholarship providers may have a lot of clout with the college, especially if their scholars make up millions of dollars of funding to the college.

If you have any additional questions about scholarship displacement, don’t hesitate to ask us!

What do you think of the majors that made the list? Is your field of study listed? Do studies such as the Wall Street Journal’s influence your academic pursuits or are you unwavering in following your heart when it comes to your major?

If you’re a recent college graduate, chances are you’re having a rough time finding a job. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about – times are tough and opportunities are slim – but next time you log on to a social networking site, realize this simple action could help in your job search. U.S. News and World Report has compiled the top five ways for college students (and graduates!) to use Facebook strategically to do just that:

Set your privacy settings appropriately: Nothing new here. I’m sure professors and parents alike have stressed the importance of blocking potentially damaging content from the public. That is solid advice but you should also take into account that there can be distinct advantages to crafting your settings to cater to a specific company, says David McDonough, director of career services at Clark University in Massachusetts. For instance, if you’re a student interested in a music company, publicly displaying your musical tastes “could be beneficial,” he notes.

Evaluate your profile picture: Even the highest privacy settings on Facebook won’t restrict users from seeing your profile picture; while prospective employers aren’t supposed to discriminate, they could be influenced by a photo deemed inappropriate by company standards.

Interact with companies: If you’re interested in a job opportunity with a specific company, you should become a fan of it on Facebook. Oriana Vogel, vice president for global recruitment and HR operations at American Express, explains, "We want them to come to us…and assess if we're the right fit for them."

Participate in Facebook groups: Interacting with professional groups on Facebook is a great way to network with those who share your same interests, but more importantly it puts you in direct contact with recruiters. Keep in mind that being a member isn’t enough, though – participating in group discussions is crucial.

Tap into your own network: "Getting a job has always been about who you know as much as anything else," Likeable Media's Kerpen says. "But the 'who you know' is multiplied by 10 from what it might have been 10 years ago thanks to Facebook." Take advantage of that fact and start messaging companies of interest as soon as possible!